Board games utilizing a game board and game pieces are generally known. Prior art disclosures include many variations of game boards having pegs protruding therefrom. Other prior art discloses include game pieces having holes therethrough for slidable engagement with the pegs of the game board.
For example, St. John (U.S. Pat. No. 606,744) discloses a game board and method of play. The game board disclosed includes multiple arrays of pegs protruding from a rectangular surface. The pegs are utilized for receiving magnetic rings. When playing the game, each contestant utilizes a magnetized rod to pick up rings from the central pegs and transfer them to pegs located near the edge of the game board. Players race to see who fills their pegs first.
Fredriksson (U.S. Pat. No. 2,391,147) discloses a game board including a rectangular surface having pegs protruding therefrom arranged in a cross-shaped pattern. A "goal" peg is located at the end of each arm of the cross. The game pieces are rings or flat pieces having a single hole in it closer to one end. The object of the game is for a player to get his rings into the cup opposite his own field.
La Monda (U.S. Pat. No. DES 31,656) also discloses a game board having an array of pegs protruding therefrom. Each of the game boards disclosed in these references utilize game pieces that are ring-shaped or have a single hole therethrough to function as a ring would function.
Other game boards have been designed utilizing pegs and associated game pieces for specific applications where it is necessary for holding game pieces in a particular location. For example, Taylor (U.S. Pat. No. 1,004,935) and Belisle (U.S. Pat. No. 3,761,094) each disclose a device for holding playing cards in an overlapped position so that each card is sufficiently exposed from behind its overlapping card to show its suit and value. These game boards allow playing of solitaire without the necessity of laying the cards on a flat horizontal surface.
Kleine-Horst (U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,275), Bobo et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,789) and Cardozo (U.S. Pat. No. 2,384,280) disclose boards having pegs protruding therefrom and associated game pieces used in conjunction with these pegs for educational purposes. Kleine-Horst discloses an educational tool which incorporates cards and pegs, wherein the cards have holes which correspond to a given peg when the card is properly placed. Bobo et al. disclose an educational game board which utilizes pegs and cards with holes matching the arrangement of a given set of pegs once such a card is placed in proper position. The positions are dictated by mathematical problems, words or pictures. Cardozo discloses an educational toy including a holder having two pegs protruding therefrom for keeping in order cards, which when properly arranged, sequence a story.
Several prior art disclosures have also been directed to the design of game pieces. For example, Suteras (U.S. Pat. No. 2,253,823) discloses an improved set of dominoes which incorporate numbers rather than dots, and also can include colors designating a specific number. Hardy (U.S. Pat. No. 1,034,402) discloses variations on the design of the face of playing cards, including value indication and shape. Sugden (U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,603) discloses a three-dimensional tic-tac-toe game. The game pieces are rectangular, having two holes spaced apart, with two different color playing symbols for playing tic-tac-toe. Whitney (U.S. Pat. No. 2,457,020) discloses a normal set of playing cards with which all of the games of dominos can be played.
Several card games board games have also been disclosed in which cards are played in an arrangement based on matching numbers or letters of adjacent cards. For example, Devries (U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,085) discloses a game board having rectangular partitions and rectangular game pieces. The pieces are played on the board with alignment of numbers when they correspond. Connell (U.S. Pat. No. 825,809) discloses a card game apparatus which includes a polygonal center piece whose several sides are inscribed with numerals in a series of rectangular cards, each bearing two numerals. The game includes eight books of rectangular cards, each book containing the following cards: 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8, and blank-blank. Thus, there are 72 cards in total, with eight of any one card. As shown in the figure on page 1 of the patent, the cards are played so as to branch out from the central polygonal pieces with numbers matching. The object is to block play in a given direction by bridging across two previously played cards. Palmer (U.S. Pat. No. 2,072,605) discloses game pieces and a method of play incorporating hexagonal pieces that have alternating numbers and letters along the six edges. The object of the game is to arrange the cards in a geometric shape and spell words for points when a pattern is completed.
The above described disclosures fail to teach a board game and game piece combination which is readily usable by small children to learn both colors and numbers, while providing a challenging game which aids in keeping the players interested in continuing play, while learning. The present invention addresses the needs not met by the prior art, as well as addressing other problems associated with game boards and game pieces for use by small children. The present invention also offers further advantage over the prior art and solves problems associated therewith.